Experience living on and travelling the Bras D’Or lakes in traditional ways with Mi’kmaq elder Judy Googoo and her husband Joe. We will collect oysters, mussels and fish from the lake, trap small game, make shelters and sleep under the stars. Judy will teach us how to feel at home with nature, even in emergencies.
For thousands of years, the Unama’ki (Cape Breton Island) Mi’kmaq have been sustainable stewards of the Bras d’Or Lakes. Come and build understanding of Netuklimk, a Mi’kmaq concept of connection, respect and balance in the relationship between natural and human worlds.
All people are welcome, couples and individuals.
Program Cost: $345 (includes tuition, canoe rental, park fee and supplemental foods)
Please register at least 2 weeks in advance to secure your place in this program.
Leadership
Judy Googoo
Judy Googoo never visited a hospital while growing up in Baddeck and Wagmatcook. All her medicines were prepared by her mother and grandmother and passed on over time. Judy is an Elder who has been studying and cataloguing medicines from this region infusing her own experiences and practices with traditional knowledge.
Judy is also an artist and makes jewelry which she sells at her log cabin shop on the reserve. She owns a variety of businesses and raises a wide assortment of animals including love birds, turkeys, goats and horses in her home in Wagmatcook.
Joe Googoo
Joe Googoo
Laura Hunter
Laura Hunter, Program Resource Group (PRG) facilitator. Laura is the Maritime Conference Minister for Justice and Stewardship with the United Church of Canada. She was involved in conflict resolution following the Marshall Decision, and currently staffs the Aboriginal Relationships and Concerns Working Group for the United Church.